As Harry sat in the kitchen slowly savouring his lunch the following Thursday, daydreaming about Arabella, Kreacher came bustling in with a tatty looking envelope.

"Master Harry has mail," the old elf announced redundantly, extending it to the young man.

"Thank you, Kreacher," Harry said, accepting the envelope from him. Noting the bloated, overly round script in Gryffindor red ink on the envelope, he knew the note was from Ginny. "Could you please watch James while I read the letter?"

"Certainly, Master Harry," Kreacher said, taking the baby out of the room with him.

Turning his attention back to his mail, Harry cracked the seal and began to read:

Dear Harry,

Forgive me for not writing until now, but I've been so busy! I've been too tired to write and I just fall into bed at night after training hard all day.

I've got great news for you. All the hard training has paid off because I've been chosen for the team!

I tried out this morning and I was picked as first reserve seeker. And I'll get to play for at least the first half of the season because the regular seeker is just about to have a baby and she'll be out on maternity for a least a few months!

I'm so excited -- this is what I've always dreamed about since I was a little girl. I'll also be making more money in my first year than my Dad ever has for a single year in his entire life.

I've got to run for now, as I'm going out this afternoon to look for a flat, considering that I'll be with the team from now on. Be a dear and have Kreacher send down most of my casual clothes, if you would.

We'll be playing the Tornadoes for our season opener and I hope you'll be able to come see me play.

Ginny

Harry threw the letter down, resisting the impulse crumple it and throw it away. He was disgusted; not once had Ginny asked about how James was doing, nor did she say that she missed him. The letter was all about her; the hell with him and their son.

If he'd had the slightest misgivings about going through with the divorce before reading her letter, he had none now. He'd waited long enough; it was time to put their divorce in motion. He didn't hate Ginny, but he knew for certain now that he didn't want to spend the rest of his life married to such a self-absorbed woman.

He'd be going to Malfoy Manor that night to have dinner with Arabella and Narcissa. He'd get the name of Lucius' lawyer then and start the procedures to finally end his disaster of a marriage.

He knew he'd be in for a heated custody battle with Molly Weasley, plus he was sure that the Weasleys would try to get their hands on the Potter fortune. Harry wasn't worried, though. Let them try, he thought with a grim smile He doubted that a lawyer they could afford to hire could be much of a challenge against any of the lawyers employed by Lucius Malfoy.

Several hours later, Harry arrived by floo at Malfoy Manor, with James in tow. Narcissa had asked him to come about an hour before Arabella was due to arrive, so it would seem as if their meeting was a coincidence; that Arabella had just casually 'dropped by'. He was glad of the time lag, as this would give him a chance to privately discuss his plans to start his divorce with the Malfoy matriarch.

As he stepped through the floo, he found Andromeda Tonks sitting with Narcissa in the library drinking tea.

"Oh, there you are, Harry," Narcissa greeted as he was brushing the soot off him and the baby. "I hope you don't mind that invited Andromeda and Teddy for dinner as well. I thought little Samantha might enjoy having a playmate while you and Arabella have a visit."

"I don't mind at all," Harry said, smiling. "That's great."

Holding out her arms for James, Andromeda said, "Let me have a look at the little man. It's been so long that you've come to visit, Harry, that I hardly remember what he looks like."

"I'm sorry I haven't been by to visit," he apologized sheepishly. "But things have been rather hectic in my life lately."

"I understand," the older woman said. "I know how it is when you have a young baby."

Turning to Narcissa, he said, "I wonder if I might ask you for a bit of advice before Arabella gets here?"

"Of course, Harry," she said graciously. "How can I help you?"

After handing James to Andromeda who took him out of the room to join Teddy in the playroom, he himself beside Narcissa and told her, "I've decided that I'm ready to go ahead with the divorce and the sooner I get it done, the better."

"What prompted that, Harry?" Narcissa asked. "Surely you aren't in a hurry because of Arabella, are you? You two have only just met one another."

"No, it's not Arabella, not really," Harry assured her. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "I got an owl from Ginny today telling me that she's been chosen as the Harpies' first reserve seeker."

"Surely that's not surprising," Narcissa pointed out. "She's always been an excellent Quidditch player."

"It's not that she made the team," he explained. "I was expecting that. It's just that when I read what she wrote in the letter, I suddenly realized just how selfish she really is."

"Oh?" Narcissa said. "In what way?"

"She never once asked about James or said that she missed him," Harry told her. "It was all about her and it was like James didn't even exist. In fact, the entire time she's been at the training camp, she's not been in contact, nor has she asked me to bring him down there to visit."

"I see," Narcissa said slowly. Before she could respond, a floo call came in from Lucius.

"Ah, Lucius," Narcissa said as his face became visible in the flames. "You picked just the right time to call. Mr Potter is here and he could probably use your advice right now."

"What can I do for you, Harry?" Lucius asked, wondering why Harry Potter was at Malfoy Manor.

"I was telling Mrs Malfoy that I think it's time for me to go ahead with the divorce," he told the older man. "I got an owl from Ginny this morning telling me that she's been given a permanent spot on the Holyhead Harpies as a reserve seeker and is will be actually playing this year. She's also getting ready to rent a flat near the training camp and has asked me to send her things along." As almost an afterthought, he added, "She's also not been in contact before today's owl since he's been away, nor has she asked to see James."

"Did you save the letter?" Lucius asked.

"Yes, I did," Harry reported. "I thought the lawyer might find it useful."

"Excellent," Lucius said. "I will contact him right away and let him know to be expecting your visit."

After a pause, he continued, "Concerning the letter, however, I was thinking it would also be useful for the Daily Prophet. They'll certainly be reporting about your wife being chosen for the team, so I'll direct Norbert Terwilliger to contact you to get your reaction to the news. I'll also suggest to him that he write a related editorial speculating on what this will mean for your marriage. The editorial will predictably evoke an outraged reaction from the Weasleys, which will, in turn, provide your lawyer a plausible reason to show the letter in court to refute their objections. This will, of course, support your claim that she is a disinterested mother, thus a poor choice for getting custody of James."

"I'm impressed," Harry admitted, once again admiring how the Slytherin's mind worked.

"Harry has also met a nice young woman while working at the orphanage," Narcissa told her husband. "Arabella Tavington -- you remember her, don't you? She was married to the older Nott boy and was widowed right before the battle of Hogwarts?"

"Yes, I remember meeting her once or twice," he recalled. "She's a distant cousin of mine."

"I think they'll make a fine couple," Narcissa opined.

"No doubt," Lucius agreed dryly. Addressing Harry, he said, "I don't think I need to remind you that you need to keep your relationship with Arabella discreet until your divorce is final. It's crucial that you don't give the Weasleys anything they can work with to use against you."

"Yes, Mrs Malfoy pretty much told me the same thing," Harry said. "She's kindly offered Malfoy Manor as a meeting place for Arabella and I to get together in private."

"Good," Lucius said. "It seems as if you have it well in hand."

"Is Hermione there?" Harry asked. "I'd like to say hello if I could."

"Unfortunately, no," Lucius told him. "She's at the Salem Institute library today doing research for her books."

"Well, please tell her that I asked about her, then," the young man said, disappointed.

"I have a better idea," Lucius said. "Why don't you and Arabella come over for a visit? Next weekend, perhaps? It would be a good chance for the two of you spend some time together and I know Hermione would be delighted to see you."

"That would be brilliant," Harry said smiling. "Thank you."

"We'll see you next week, then," Lucius said briskly.

--
Thanks once again to my loyal readers and reviewers
Next chapter as yet unnamed.